Golf ball retrieving putter grip assembly

ABSTRACT

A golf ball retrieving putter grip assembly includes a tubular member formed by a perimeter wall having a bottom end and a top end. The bottom end is open and is configured to receive a golf club shaft. The tubular member has a front side including a planar section. The tubular member has an upper section terminating at the top end and which comprises less than 20% of a total height of the tubular member. The upper section has an outwardly flaring outer surface. The top end has an upper surface has a depression therein defining a golf ball engaging cup. The depression has an arcuate concave shape to receive a golf ball. An interior lip is attached to the top end and extends inwardly over an opening defining the depression.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

I hereby claim the benefit under 35 U.S.C. Section 119(e) of U.S. Provisional application 63/092,534 filed Oct. 16, 2020.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not Applicable

THE NAMES OF THE PARTIES TO A JOINT RESEARCH AGREEMENT

Not Applicable

INCORPORATION-BY-REFERENCE OF MATERIAL SUBMITTED ON A COMPACT DISC OR AS A TEXT FILE VIA THE OFFICE ELECTRONIC FILING SYSTEM.

Not Applicable

STATEMENT REGARDING PRIOR DISCLOSURES BY THE INVENTOR OR JOINT INVENTOR

Not Applicable

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION (1) Field of the Invention

The disclosure relates to golf ball retrieving devices and more particularly pertains to a new golf ball retrieving device for allowing a person to utilize a grip of their putter to retrieve a golf ball and thereby forgo having to bend over to pick up a golf ball.

(2) Description of Related Art including information disclosed under 37 CFR 1.97 and 1.98.

The prior art relates to golf ball retrieving devices which deviate from the comfort and functional characteristics of a combined grip and ball retriever to make such devices practical.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An embodiment of the disclosure meets the needs presented above by generally comprising a tubular member formed by a perimeter wall having a bottom end and a top end. The bottom end is open and is configured to receive a golf club shaft. The tubular member is comprised of a resiliently bendable material. The tubular member has a cylindrical interior space configured for receiving the golf club shaft. The tubular member has a front side, a rear side, a first lateral side and a second lateral side. The rear, first lateral and second lateral sides each have a convexly arcuate shape. The front side includes a planar section extending from a central area and toward each of the top and bottom ends. The tubular member has an upper section terminating at the top end and which comprises less than 20% of a total height of the tubular member from the top end to the bottom end. The upper section has an outer surface flaring outwardly from the bottom end and toward the top end. The top end has an upper surface has a depression defining a golf ball engaging cup. The depression has an arcuate concave shape and has a depth is between 0.80 inches and 0.85 inches and a greatest width between 1.55 inches and 1.61 inches. An interior lip is attached to top the end and extending inwardly over an opening defining the depression a distance of between 0.015 inches and 0.035 inches.

Another embodiment of the disclosure includes a tubular member formed by a perimeter wall having a bottom end and a top end. The bottom end is open and is configured to receive a golf club shaft. The tubular member is comprised of a resiliently bendable material. The tubular member has a cylindrical interior space configured for receiving the golf club shaft. The tubular member has a front side, a rear side, a first lateral side and a second lateral side. The rear, first lateral and second lateral sides each have a convexly arcuate shape. The front side includes a planar section extending from a central area and toward each of the top and bottom ends. The tubular member has an upper section terminating at the top end. The upper section has an outer surface flaring outwardly from the bottom end and toward the top end. Te top end has an upper surface having a depression extending downwardly therein to define a golf ball engaging cup.

There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the disclosure in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the disclosure that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.

The objects of the disclosure, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the disclosure, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING(S)

The disclosure will be better understood and objects other than those set forth above will become apparent when consideration is given to the following detailed description thereof. Such description makes reference to the annexed drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a front view of a golf ball retrieving putter grip assembly according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a top view of an embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 3 is a bottom view of an embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of an embodiment of the disclosure taken along line 4-4 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a side view of an embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 6 is a front isometric view of an embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 7 is side in-use view of an embodiment of the disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

With reference now to the drawings, and in particular to FIGS. 1 through 7 thereof, a new golf ball retrieving devices embodying the principles and concepts of an embodiment of the disclosure and generally designated by the reference numeral 10 will be described.

As best illustrated in FIGS. 1 through 7, the golf ball retrieving putter grip assembly 10 generally comprises a tubular member 12 formed by a perimeter wall 14 having a bottom end 16 and a top end 18. The bottom end 16 is open and is configured to receive a golf club shaft 70 opposite a head 72 attached to the shaft 70. Typically, golf club 70 shaft and the head 72 are those of a generally conventional putter, wherein the assembly 10 forms the grip of the putter. The tubular member 12 is comprised of a resiliently bendable material. Any conventional material used for golf club grips may be utilized for the resiliently bendable material and is typically a rubber material. The tubular member 12 has a cylindrical interior space 20 configured for receiving the golf club shaft. The diameter of the cylindrical interior space 20 is about 0.55 inches.

The tubular member 12 has a front side 22, a rear side 24, a first lateral side 26 and a second lateral side 28. At least each of the rear 24, first lateral 26 and second lateral 28 sides has a convexly arcuate shape such that tubular member 12 is semi-cylindrical along a majority of its height. The front side 22 however includes a planar section 30 extending from a central area 32 and toward each of the top 18 and bottom 16 ends. The central area 32 is generally defined as at least 2.0 inches above and 3.0 below a mid-point between the top 18 and bottom 16 ends. The planar section 30 is typically aligned with a head of the putter and serves as a hand alignment aid. The central area 30 has a height greater than 7.5 inches.

The dimensions of the tubular member 12 may vary depending on user preferences. Generally, the tubular member 12 has a width of the central area 30 from the first lateral side 26 to the second lateral side 28, at points diametrically opposed to each other, being equal to between 1.0 inches and 1.50 inches. A depth of the central area 32, owing to the planar section 30, will be 0.10 to 0.30 inches less than the width at a same spot vertically removed from the bottom end 16.

The area adjacent to the bottom end 16 may include a perimeter shoulder 34 extending outwardly to facilitate the gripping of the tubular member 12 as it is slid onto the shaft. The perimeter shoulder 34 extends upwardly from the bottom end 16 a distance of less than 0.5 inches. The tubular member 12 may taper inwardly from the central area 32 to the bottom end 16 such that the perimeter shoulder 34 has an exterior width being less than the width of the central area 32. This tapering is obvious in FIGS. 1 and 5 and prevents the perimeter shoulder 34 from being a sight distraction as well as forming a more comfortable grip.

The tubular member 12 has an upper section 36 terminating at the top end 18. More particularly, the upper section 36 comprises less than 20% of a total height of the tubular member 12 from the top end 18 to the bottom end 16. The upper section 36 has an outer surface flaring outwardly in a direction extending from the bottom end 16 and toward the top end 18 to form a funnel shape. The top end 18 has an upper surface 38 with a depression 40 therein to define a golf ball 74 engaging cup. The depression 40 has an arcuate, concave shape which approaches a hemi-spherical shape. The depression 40 may not be completely hemi-spherical as its bottom 42 may include a small planar portion as shown in FIG. 4. The depression 40 has a depth that is between 0.80 inches and 0.85 inches and the depression 40 has a greatest width that is between 1.55 inches and 1.61 inches.

An interior lip 44 is attached to the top end 18 and extends inwardly over an opening defining the depression 40. The interior lip 44 extends along an entirety of a perimeter edge of the depression 40. The interior lip 44 extends inwardly, or away from a wall of the depression 40, a distance of between 0.015 inches and 0.035 inches. An annular flange 46 may be attached to and extend completely around the perimeter wall 14 adjacent to the top end 18. The annular flange 46 forms a unitary structure with the perimeter wall 14 and acts as a reinforcing member to constrict the depression 40 around a golf ball 74 positioned within the depression 40.

In use, the bottom end 16 receives a shaft 70 of a putter such that the shaft 70 extends upwardly to a stop 48 positioned within the tubular member 12 and located adjacent to the depression 40. Typically the stop 48 will form a bottom 42 of the depression 40. The tubular member 12 is thereafter used in a conventional manner as a grip for a putter. However, when a person wishes to retrieve their golf ball 74, the assembly 10 is turned upside down such that the depression 40 can receive the golf ball 74 from a golf ball cup 76 positioned on a putting green 78. The tubular member 12 frictionally engages the golf ball 74 to allow the golf ball 74 to be lifted from the cup 76. The interior lip 44 facilitates the gripping of the golf ball 74 with the top end 18. The user then places pressure on the golf ball 74 lateral to the top end 18 to cause the top end 18 to deform the depression 40 and release the golf ball 74. Thus the golf ball 74 can be retrieved without the need to bend over and grasp the golf ball 74 by hand.

With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of an embodiment enabled by the disclosure, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by an embodiment of the disclosure.

Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the disclosure. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the disclosure to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the disclosure. In this patent document, the word “comprising” is used in its non-limiting sense to mean that items following the word are included, but items not specifically mentioned are not excluded.

A reference to an element by the indefinite article “a” does not exclude the possibility that more than one of the element is present, unless the context clearly requires that there be only one of the elements. 

I claim:
 1. A grip assembly configured for being positioned on a shaft of a putter, the grip assembly comprising: a tubular member formed by a perimeter wall having a bottom end and a top end, the bottom end being open and being configured to receive a golf club shaft, the tubular member being comprised of a resiliently bendable material; the tubular member having a cylindrical interior space configured for receiving the golf club shaft; the tubular member having a front side, a rear side, a first lateral side and a second lateral side, the rear, first lateral and second lateral sides having a convexly arcuate shape, the front side including a planar section extending from a central area and toward each of the top and bottom ends; the tubular member having an upper section terminating at the top end; and the upper section having an outer surface flaring outwardly from the bottom end and toward the top end, the top end having an upper surface having a depression extending downwardly therein to define a golf ball engaging cup.
 2. The grip assembly according to claim 1, wherein the upper section comprises less than 20% of a total height of the tubular member from the top end to the bottom end.
 3. The grip assembly according to claim 2, wherein the depression has a depth being between 0.80 inches and 0.85 inches.
 4. The grip assembly according to claim 3, wherein the depression has a greatest width being between 1.55 inches and 1.61 inches.
 5. The grip assembly according to claim 2, further including an interior lip being attached to the top end and extending inwardly over an opening defining the depression.
 6. The grip assembly according to claim 5, wherein the interior lip extends along an entirety of a perimeter edge of the depression.
 7. The grip assembly according to claim 6, wherein the interior lip extends inwardly a distance of between 0.015 inches and 0.035 inches.
 8. The grip assembly according to claim 5, wherein the interior lip extends inwardly a distance of between 0.015 inches and 0.035 inches.
 9. The grip assembly according to claim 1, further including an annular flange attached to and extending completely around the perimeter wall adjacent to the top end, the annular flange forming a unitary structure with the perimeter wall and being configured to function as a reinforcing member constricting the depression when a golf ball is positioned within the depression.
 10. A grip assembly configured for being positioned on a shaft of a putter, the grip assembly comprising: a tubular member formed by a perimeter wall having a bottom end and a top end, the bottom end being open and being configured to receive a golf club shaft, the tubular member being comprised of a resiliently bendable material; the tubular member having a cylindrical interior space configured for receiving the golf club shaft; the tubular member having a front side, a rear side, a first lateral side and a second lateral side, the rear, first lateral and second lateral sides having a convexly arcuate shape, the front side including a planar section extending from a central area and toward each of the top and bottom ends; the tubular member having an upper section terminating at the top end, the upper section comprising less than 20% of a total height of the tubular member from the top end to the bottom end; the upper section having an outer surface flaring outwardly from the bottom end and toward the top end, the top end having an upper surface having a depression extending downwardly therein to define a golf ball engaging cup, the depression having an arcuate concave shape, the depression having a depth being between 0.80 inches and 0.85 inches, the depression having a greatest width being between 1.55 inches and 1.61 inches; and an interior lip being attached to the top end and extending inwardly over an opening defining the depression, the interior lip extending along an entirety of a perimeter edge of the depression, the interior lip extending inwardly a distance of between 0.015 inches and 0.035 inches. 